Mahasiswa Pariwisata Unhas Kelas A 2024, Tampilkan Kreativitas Digital Tourism Bersama Pigitrip
Oleh Dirk Sandarupa
Kegiatan tugas lapangan mata kuliah Pariwisata Digital yang berkolaborasi dengan platform wisata Pigitrip berlangsung penuh antusias dan inovasi. Mahasiswa Pariwisata mempresentasikan hasil observasi mereka dari berbagai destinasi wisata unggulan di Sulawesi Selatan melalui pendekatan digital tourism, branding destinasi, dan pengalaman wisata berbasis teknologi.
Dalam kegiatan tersebut, Founder Pigitrip, Rudi Hartono, memberikan apresiasi tinggi kepada mahasiswa atas kemampuan mereka menghubungkan teori pariwisata digital dengan praktik lapangan secara langsung. Menurutnya, generasi muda pariwisata saat ini harus mampu menjadi kreator informasi, promotor destinasi, sekaligus inovator dalam pengembangan wisata berbasis digital.
“Mahasiswa hari ini tidak cukup hanya memahami teori. Mereka harus mampu membaca tren digital tourism, membangun narasi destinasi, serta mempromosikan wisata melalui media kreatif dan teknologi,” ungkap Rudi Hartono.
Berdasarkan hasil presentasi dan penilaian tugas lapangan, kelompok terbaik diumumkan sebagai berikut:
🥇 Terbaik Pertama— Kelompok 4 dengan destinasi Lappa Laona, Kabupaten Barru
🥈 Terbaik Kedua — Kelompok 1 dengan destinasi Pulau Lae-Lae, Makassar
🥉 Terbaik Ketiga — Kelompok 2 dengan destinasi Bugis Water Park
🏅 Terbaik Keempat— Kelompok 3 dengan destinasi Desa Wisata Nepo, Barru
Sementara itu, dosen pengampu mata kuliah Pariwisata Digital, Dr. Dirk Sandarupa, menekankan bahwa pembelajaran lapangan seperti ini menjadi bagian penting dalam membentuk mahasiswa yang adaptif terhadap perkembangan industri pariwisata modern.
Menurutnya, esensi pembelajaran pariwisata digital bukan hanya memahami teknologi, tetapi bagaimana mahasiswa mampu mengemas potensi lokal menjadi informasi wisata yang menarik, edukatif, dan bernilai ekonomi.
“Mahasiswa pariwisata harus mampu menjadi jembatan antara budaya lokal, teknologi digital, dan industri kreatif. Dari observasi lapangan ini, mereka belajar membangun storytelling destinasi, branding wisata, hingga komunikasi digital yang relevan dengan kebutuhan industri saat ini,” jelas Dr. Dirk Sandarupa, M.Hum., MCE.
Kegiatan ini juga menjadi ruang kolaborasi antara dunia akademik dan industri pariwisata digital dalam mempersiapkan sumber daya manusia yang kreatif, inovatif, dan siap menghadapi transformasi pariwisata di era digital.
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Tourism Students of Class A 2024 : Pigitrip Collaboration Inspires Digital Tourism Innovation
by Dirk Sandarupa
A field assignment activity for the Digital Tourism course, conducted in collaboration with the tourism platform Pigitrip, was carried out with great enthusiasm and innovation. Tourism students of Class A presented their observations from several leading tourist destinations in South Sulawesi through approaches in digital tourism, destination branding, and technology-based travel experiences.
During the activity, the Founder of Pigitrip, Rudi Hartono, expressed his appreciation for the students’ ability to connect digital tourism theory with direct field practice. According to him, today’s tourism students must be capable of becoming content creators, destination promoters, and innovators in the development of digital-based tourism.
“Students today should not only understand theory. They must also be able to read digital tourism trends, build destination narratives, and promote tourism through creative media and technology,” said Rudi Hartono.
Based on the presentations and field assignment assessments, the best groups were announced as follows:
🥇 First Best Group — Group 4 with the destination Lappa Laona, Barru Regency
🥈 Second Best Group — Group 1 with the destination Lae-Lae Island, Makassar
🥉 Third Best Group— Group 2 with the destination Bugis Water Park, Makassar
🏅 Fourth Best Group* — Group 3 with the destination Nepo Tourism Village, Barru Regency
Meanwhile, the lecturer of the Digital Tourism course, Dr. Dirk Sandarupa, emphasized that field-based learning activities like this are essential in preparing students to adapt to the rapid development of the modern tourism industry.
According to him, the essence of digital tourism learning is not only about understanding technology, but also about how students can transform local potential into attractive, educational, and economically valuable tourism information.
“Tourism students must become a bridge between local culture, digital technology, and the creative industry. Through this field observation, they learn how to build destination storytelling, tourism branding, and digital communication that are relevant to today’s industry needs,” explained Dr. Dirk Sandarupa, M.Hum., MCE.
This activity also became a collaborative platform between academia and the digital tourism industry in preparing creative, innovative, and future-ready human resources to face the transformation of tourism in the digital era.
